Take a look at the comments from the top American based riders as they go over their Washougal results. As always a lot of good comments from the AMA challengers.

Chase Sexton: “That was a really good moto for me. Eli [Tomac] was on me but I kept fending him off. I finally got away and brought it home. It means a lot to me to win like that and I’m really looking forward to these last four races. I couldn’t be more happy to battle [for the championship] with a guy like Eli.”

Eli Tomac: “It was a solid day for us! As usual, the conditions were technical and slick at Washougal. I had a great first moto making passes to the lead and holding on for the win. In the second moto, I struggled to find another second fast line for passing, but overall we did okay with breaking even on points for the championship.”

Jason Anderson: “Being the third best guy out there is hard to accept. I expect to be up front every round and I’ve proven I have the speed to do it, but we just didn’t have it today. The guys up front were running a crazy pace. All in all, it was still a good day for us and we made up points in the race for third in the championship. We’ll try to keep this podium streak going as we head into the final four rounds.”

Jett Lawrence: “I just got lucky on that one. I didn’t quite have that pace [today], so I just focused on trying to get a flow. I just kept an eye on Hunter [Lawrence] at that point. It’s nice to get another win, but I definitely wasn’t at my best today.

Justin Cooper: “It’s great to be back [with a moto win]. I felt like I had the speed today. My intensity was off in Moto 1, but I got a better start in Moto 2 and I just felt like I was in my groove and was able to ride my own race. We’re making our way back and it’s showing now. It’s starting to feel a bit more normal.”

Hunter Lawrence: “I was pushing [to catch Shimoda]. There was a seven second gap and I had to bridge that. I did all I could there. This track can be scary. I’m happy with my riding, but I need to clean up those little mistakes.”

Jo Shimoda: “Overall, it was a good day with me getting the holeshot and leading in Moto 1. I was able to stick with the leaders for a long time and win some hard battles which is nice because I think my speed was off today. Next week we’re going to do some more practicing before taking a little break to recharge during the off weekend so we can finish the season strong.”

Seth Hammaker: “It felt good to mix it up with the guys inside the top-five for as long as I did in both motos. My goal is to keep progressing with each week and hopefully, after the two-week break, we’ll come back recharged and ready to battle for podiums.”

Nate Thrasher: “It was another new track for me, but I had a good qualifying and was feeling good going into the motos. In the first moto, I got a bad start and had a tip-over, and just struggled from there. I got a better start in the second moto but still had a hard time making passes and ended up ninth overall. It’s not the results we’re looking for, but we’ll keep working during the break and come back at Unadilla.”

Christian Craig: “Overall, it was a good day. Unfortunately, I crashed on the first lap of both motos and was playing catch-up the whole time. I’m happy with my speed; I just need to be better in the opening laps.”

Joey Savatgy: “I had a scary moment in practice after I caught my foot in a rut coming off the face of a tabletop. It could’ve been really bad but I’m happy I was able to save that one. Overall, seventh is right around where I expect to be right now. Obviously, I’d like to be up front with the leaders, but we’re making progress. If I can keep fighting for the fourths, fifths and sixths until the end of the season I’ll be proud.”

Max Vohland: “Today went pretty well. I didn’t get a very good start in the first moto but surprisingly on this track – which is very hard to pass on – I was able to move up pretty quickly. I just kept chugging along and picked my way up to seventh. Second moto, I really focused on the start and I got up into that top-five and just kind of stayed there – I was in no-man’s land there for a bit. I went 7-5 for fifth, which is matching my best result again this year. Now we have two weeks off and we’re going to put some work in and try to get on that podium.”

Ryan Dungey: “We had a great week and made some good progress with the bike, which was really positive and it really translated today. I got the start in the first moto and man, it was nice running up there with Chase and Eli! We had a little bit of a bike malfunction – you know, it’s dirt bikes – it happens and it’s nobody’s fault. Second moto, my gate pick was terrible but I tried to salvage a decent start. The good thing was that I felt really good and the bike was really working, so I could apply myself on the track and start picking those people off. I got up to fourth and I made a run on third but just ran out of time. It’s not where we want to be overall but a positive moving forward is that we’re in a good spot with the bike and the riding was good, so we’ll take it.”

Aaron Plessinger: “Today was a mellow day – not great but not horrible. The track got rough in the first moto and I tightened up at the end, so I ended up eighth. I made some bike changes going out for Moto 2 and it was better. I got a really good start and I was running up there for a bit but I kind of just faded back. I’ve got a lot of homework to do these next few weeks and we’ll come back swinging for Unadilla.”

R. J. Hampshire: “It was a long day for me, my starts were terrible. First moto was a bit of a struggle and second moto, I felt like I found some comfort mid-way through. I felt like I rode decent for the second half of the moto but all-in-all, it was just kind of a struggle of a day. We’ve got two weekends to figure some things out and I’m hoping to come back at Unadilla with a fighting chance and hopefully we can knock out a couple podiums.”

 Jalek Swoll: “Qualifying was a lot better today, it’s nice to finally get in the mix and be there speed-wise. My riding was pretty good in Moto 1 but I’ve been struggling to get up there in the first few laps and on a track like this, you don’t want to find yourself in the back because it’s really hard to pass. I got a better start in Moto 2 but somebody else’s mistake costed me and I went down. I was at the back of the pack and only could get back to 12th. It’s not where we want to be but we’re going to keep plugging away and making improvements.”

Shane McElrath: “Washougal was a tough race day. I had pretty good qualifying session but as the track developed more, I struggled on finding a flow out there. I’m happy with my effort and the progress that we’ve made. It’s not easy out there. I’m content with where we’re at but I know I have some more to give and I’m going to keep working regardless of what the future holds. I’m just happy for this opportunity and it’s definitely taught me a lot, so I’m excited.”

Justin Barcia: “First moto, I had a really hard charge! I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and I came from about 14th up to fifth. I had a really good battle the whole moto, it was pretty intense. Second moto, I got off to a decent start and just couldn’t find my groove – I just felt a little bit uncomfortable with the bike. We’re going to get after it during these off-weekends and try to find a little bit more for the final rounds. My goal is to get up on that podium and battle for wins, so it’s back to work!”

Pierce Brown: “We’re definitely treading in the right direction. We had a good first moto in sixth. Second moto, I got a good start and got caught behind some guys on the first lap and I ended up getting passed by a couple people. I fought through the pack as much as I could, I just didn’t have it at the end of the moto and I got passed by a couple more guys for ninth. We’re getting better, but we want more!”